Expert on Health Policy to Speak About Fixing a Broken System

November 5, 2009

David B. Nash, M.D., the newly appointed Founding Dean of the Jefferson School of Health Policy and Population Health on the campus of Thomas Jefferson University views true health care reform as essential to creating tikkun olam -- the repair of the world. As such, he will discuss the challenges and opportunities toward creating a quality national health care system on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m., at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley.

The program, which will be followed by a dessert reception, is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's Health Care Affiliation Group.

Nash asserts that the current buzz about "health reform" is really about "insurance reform."

He explains that several key issues -- wellness and prevention programs, coordination of care, changing the payment systems -- are not being addressed in proposed legislation in the Senate or House.

"We need leaders in Washington and elsewhere to confront what is really broken and begin the difficult process of self-evaluation to fix these core issues," says Nash. "We spend the most and get the least."

While noting that on a case-by-case basis, "we might be fortunate enough to have insurance and to get great medical care," he says this is not the case for most U.S. health care consumers. "The United States requires leadership to tackle the health care system's core problems of high cost, poor quality, limited scope and the damaging incentives throughout the entire system."

The Jefferson School of Health Policy and Population Health is, according to Nash, a training ground for the "leaders that the health care field so badly needs."

The school provides graduate academic programming, continuing education courses and conferences, and sustained research and consulting in areas of health policy, population health, health care quality and safety, and chronic care management.

Nash's new appointment culminates a nearly 20-year tenure at Jefferson. He also is the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy. This endowed professorship is one of only a handful of such chairs in the nation.

Nash is internationally recognized for his work in outcomes management, medical-staff development, and quality-of-care improvement. His publications have appeared in more than 100 articles in major journals.

Nash has been repeatedly named by Modern Healthcare to the top 100 most powerful persons in health care list. He also received the Philadelphia Business Journal"Healthcare Heroes" award, and was named an honorary distinguished fellow of the American College of Physician Executives.

"We are excited to host Dr. David Nash for our Nov. 10 program," says Bernard Dishler, DDS, who serves as co-chair of Federation's Health Care Affinity group along with Jeremy Goldberg.

Dishler expresses enthusiasm that Nash's insights about achieving true health reform will appeal to the group's diverse "healing arts" professionals, whose members include those working in pharmaceuticals, health insurance, the business and legal aspects of health sciences, in addition to physicians, nurses and dentists.

Goldberg, a pharmaceutical executive and investor adds that "given that health care reform is the president's No. 1 domestic priority and will affect everyone in the health care community, as well as one sixth of the U.S. economy, we encourage you to take this unique opportunity to hear from Dr. David Nash, one of the most influential M.D.s influencing policy and medical practice in Philadelphia and in the U.S."

The cost for the Nov. 10 program is $20 per person, payable at the door. For more information, call Marni Grinberg at 215-832-0859 or e-mail her at: [email protected][1].